Environmental Change

By Dave Jarvis
September 13, 2008

In early 2007, a team of over 600 scientists reported that humans are turning up Earth's thermometer (summary).

Simple, immediate action today can help towards reversing the trend.

Item	How to Help	Cost	Save
	Turn off lights (and computers) when not in use	Free
	Replace regular lightbulbs with CFLs	$3.33	$47.00
	Eat less cow meat	Varies
	Insist upon green computer parts	Varies
	Buy local foods	Varies
	Carry groceries in reusable, natural canvas bags	$3.00¹
	Get your groceries delivered, instead of driving	$9.00
	Take two-minute showers; use a low-flow showerhead	$10.00¹	$175.00
	Use alternate transportation (bus, subway, bicycle, walk)	Varies
	Use a space heater on its lowest setting (600W to 750W)	$60.00¹	Varies
	Wash clothing in cold water	Varies
	Dry clothing on a clothesline or drying rack	Free
	House clean with baking soda, vinegar and tea tree oil	$21.00
	Pressure politicians to act (Canada, United States)	Free
	Use less toilet paper	Varies
	Seek ways to save the environment	Free
	Care	Free
	Tell people	Free
¹ indicates a one-time purchase

The main influences on climate change caused by humans include:

Burning fossil fuels. Driving cars and building factories (see the industrial revolution).
Aerosol particles. Agriculture and burning coal, which leads to acid rain.
Land use. Irrigation, deforestation and agriculture.
Ozone depletion. Humans have punched a massive hole in the ozone.
Animals. Waste products from livestock contributes 18% to global greenhouse gases.

There are thousands of ways to make a positive impact on the environment. Here is a modest collection of links:

Global temperatures are rising, as illustrated by the following figure (click for details).

140 Years of Temperature History